Suffocation
by Tanglepelt
Summary: Even after more than twenty years of being independent, Latvia still has a hard time sleeping alone, especially when days get bad. -Drabble-


**I am so sorry; I really should be updating TWL, but I just haven't been in the mood to. (However, my inspiration for it is coming back, so expect a chapter before I go back to school, XD. **

**I was having a really crappy evening, so I wrote this to vent. If some of it sounds weird, it's because I wrote it in fifteen minutes, XD. **

***Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.***

/

**Suffocation**

Even after more than twenty years of being independent, Latvia still had such a hard time sleeping alone. The large pillows he had to emulate Estonia and Lithuania didn't do much, since they didn't have heartbeats, but most of the time, they were able to calm him down, to give him something solid to cling to. But tonight was not one of those fortunate nights. No, Latvia lay in his hotel bed, his eyes wide open, trying to control his breathing. There had been a world meeting the day before, and it had been stressful. There were just so many negative things going on in the world, and it saddened everyone, especially those who were already depressed. Latvia knew that it wasn't his fault, that there was nothing he himself could really do about the problems in his country, or any other country, but he felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Yes, he was a Nation, an immortal being that had seen countless wars and lived for hundreds of years, but for some strange reason that he could not understand, he had taken the eternal form of a mere fifteen-year-old. A child. He knew he should have been used to all the stress, but his human side could not take it. Money, jobs, poverty, crime. Everything that had been discussed at the meeting whirled through his head, whether it pertained to his country or not. Trying to distract himself, he thought of happier times. Or at least he _tried _to. His brain kept morphing everything good into something stressful, scary, or painful.

Suddenly, his chest got tight, and it became hard for him to breathe. Big, gasping sobs tore from his throat, and his trembling increased. His body felt like it was made of lead; it took too much energy to move his limbs. All he could do was grip his sheets as he sobbed, eventually going lightheaded from the pressure he felt in his chest. As he forced himself to breathe, he choked on air, causing him to cough violently. He started to hyperventilate, and the world spun.

He had no idea how long he stayed in this panicked state; he was too exhausted to look at the clock when he finally snapped out of it. His eyes were sore, and his nose was stuffed, so he hesitantly slid out of bed and shakily walked to the bathroom to blow his nose.

The ache in his chest would not go away, no matter how many times he tossed and turned when he got back into bed. Finally giving up, he grabbed his room key and left. He was planning on just taking a walk to clear his head, but his feet had other plans. Before he knew it, he was at Estonia's room. His body reacted before his brain did, and he knocked on the door. A few moments later, he was met with the older boy's concerned eyes.

Without thinking, he lunged at Estonia, clinging to him as though his life depended on it.

"Raivis…"

"I'm sorry."

Not wanting to wake up his neighbors, Estonia quickly ushered the boy inside. "What are you sorry for?"

"For bothering you so late. I just couldn't sleep…"

"Bad day?" Estonia knew Latvia well. Almost too well. When Latvia nodded, the taller of the blonds guided him to the bed. He held the boy close, allowing him to sob into his shirt, rubbing circles onto his back like he did when they lived together. When he was ready to sleep, he laid down, cocooning himself and Latvia with the thick blankets.

"So… I can stay?"

"Of course you can. I should really make sure our bosses book us a shared room, next time. Maybe Toris can share it, too. It'll save everyone money…"

Latvia cried into Estonia's shirt once more, wrapping his arms around him. He cried himself to sleep that night. Only this time, it was out of happiness.

/

**Hopefully, that wasn't too awful, since I wrote it so quickly.**

**Stress is a very awful thing, especially if you're under it constantly. (Haha, like me, X'D.) **

**The ending is really sweet and cheesy, I know. I ended it that way because I felt a lot better once I got to that scene, XD. **

**Hooray for Estonia and his adorableness... **

**One of my headcanons is that it's hard for Latvia to sleep alone, and prefers to have someone next to him so he can cuddle them. (Or just lean into them; he just likes feeling their warmth and presence.) **

**Another HC I have is that Latvia suffers from panic attacks when he is under extreme stress/fear, which is another reason why he hates sleeping alone. **


End file.
